Arnold Schwarzenegger in talks for Toxic Avenger reboot

May 14, 2013 - By Andrew Flynn

Arnold Schwarzenegger is in talks to star in a big budget reboot of the 1980s cult classic, The Toxic Avenger, according to Deadline. He will play a character named, The Exterminator, a former black ops agent who trains the titular character to become a hero.

The Toxic Avenger is Melvin Ferd III, a 98lbs weakling who mutates into the crime fighter when he falls into a batch of toxic waste.

Set to be introduced to buyers at Cannes 2013, THE TOXIC AVENGER is currently in pre-production and scheduled to start principal photography this fall.

Loosely based on Lloyd Kaufman’s classic Troma franchise, THE TOXIC AVENGER is the tale of a high-school kid who gets dunked in a vat of toxic waste by a corrupt chemical company. He survives the ordeal with one major side effect: upon contact with toxic chemicals, he transforms into a monster with superhuman strength. Schwarzenegger would play “the Exterminator,” a former black ops agent, who trains Toxie to use his powers for good. Together they take on the lurking menace created by the polluters, and the polluters themselves.